In the days of the prophets leading up to the exile, God’s people were steeped in idolatry. God did all that He could to plead with His people to worship Him alone. Figuratively speaking, He rose up early to send prophets to the people, but they would not hear (Jer. 7:13, 25; 11:7; 26:5). As an adulteress leaves her loving husband to pursue her illicit affairs, so Israel and Judah were unfaithful to their God (Ezek. 16:8-63; 23:1-49; Hos. 1:2; 3:1-5). God would have to put them away. They would be exiled for seventy years (Jer. 25:11, 12; 29:10).
Rather than completely destroying His people, God spared some of them (Isa. 48:9); God referred to their time of punishment as a furnace of affliction (Isa. 48:10). Just as a refining pot makes hard metals molten, when people suffer they can be brought to their knees, soften their hearts and pray to God. However, the furnace of affliction can be a kiln to further harden their hearts if they are not receptive. The minority who would not be destroyed by their punishment but rather purified to come back from captivity are often called the remnant (Isa.10:20-23; 11:11-16; 28:5; 37:4, 31, 32; 46:3; cf. 6:13; 7:3*).
In Isaiah 40-66, God instructed His people about His plans for them. He identified two anointed servants—a conquering servant and a suffering servant—who would bring hope back to His people. God’s conquering servant was the Persian king Cyrus, who was used by God to bring an end to Babylonian captivity and allow Judah to return to their homeland (Isa. 41:25; 44:24-28; 45:1-7; cf. Ezra 1:1-4). The suffering servant was Jesus Christ who descended from the remnant of Judah and came into this world to bear the stripes for our sins (Isa. 52:13-53:12). This shoot from the stem of Jesse rules the remnant (Isa. 11:1-16).
Daniel and his friends, who were of the king’s royal seed (Dan. 1:3), had to endure captivity in a foreign land. They continued to make the one true God known. God used them to interpret dreams, reveal the future, and miraculously endure death sentences. Instead of giving up, Daniel faithfully served God (as his first priority) and also ministered to foreign kings until he saw the reign of Cyrus (Dan. 6:28; 10:1). He told Nebuchadnezzar about Christ’s church, the kingdom of God that would never be destroyed (Dan. 2:44-45). As Christians, we are children of God who belong to Christ; thus, we are part of the royal seed (Gal. 3:26-29). We must continue to stand for Christ’s church, the eternal kingdom, even when the world around us makes us feel as if we are in a faraway land. Genuine faith gleams in a dark world, and it might surprise us who takes notice (Mt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-15; 1 Pet. 1:7). If we allow suffering to refine us and remain faithful to the end, we will see the Lord’s salvation (Mt. 7:13-14; 10:22; Rev. 2:10; 3:10-12).
*The name “Shear-Jashub” in 7:3 means ‘a remnant will return.
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